Fatal Temptation
by thenameless778
Summary: Seven Years. Seven years passed since Jude quit music. Seven years since her life was put on the line. Now she's an actress, starring in a new movie with Tom Quincy, whom she hates. But when a dark figure comes back to haunt her, who can she turn to?Jommy
1. A Call To Action

**A/N: Okay guys here's my new story that I was telling you about (if you've been reading The Bachelor). The first chapter I'm not too proud of, but it picks up pretty quickly. And the chapters get longer. Open for reviews! Hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter One**

**A Call to Action**

"Finally, home at last," Jude breathed as she walked into her New York apartment. It was very large and spacious for her first place on her own and she loved it. It had a master bed room and a guest room, each with its own bathroom, and a fully equipped kitchen that fed into the living room. Inside the living room were her large tan sectional and newly purchased entertainment center.

Jude dragged herself through the foyer and into the kitchen, throwing her purse onto the granite countertop. Reaching into the refrigerator she grabbed a beer, popped the cap and took a sip. Now that she was 22 she was finally able to drink legally, not that she ever went out and got drunk. She had learned her lesson from the time her ex-boyfriend spiked the punch during high school prom and tried to get her smashed. Needless to say, Carson Hill High saw a side of Jude Harrison that night that…well…just wasn't meant for ANY one to see. She was sure she scarred at least half the high school that night.

Taking the beer with her Jude padded into the living room, plopped down on the sofa and turned the TV to the news station. There were stories about drive-by shootings, robberies, and missing children. Jude shook her head in disgust, "It's all so depressing," she said to no one in particular.

Jude came from a pretty average family, if you consider a cheating father average. Then again with the way things were going in today's times, sadly it was average. If matters couldn't get any worse, they did when her mom up and left to elope with her divorce lawyer, Don. However, that was a lifetime ago. That was back when she had a career in something she loved: music. Granted, she loves being an actress too, however it didn't fill her with the same passion and drive that music once did. But that was the past, and Jude knew she did the best thing packing up and moving to New York. If she didn't she would still be back at the old G-Major, singing songs she didn't write for fans that would never again get to hear the real Jude. She took another swig of beer starting to feel a little more relaxed.

Yeah, the more she thought of it, the better she felt about switching professions. The pay was better, and you got to transform into someone else for a brief moment in time. By now Jude had been killed, married, shot at, loved, hated, proposed to (four times), rejected, seduced, been a drugee, a wife, a daughter, a best friend, and the list continues from there. There was never a limit on what you could act, and by now Jude had her own style of acting that lured in a certain genre of movie casters. Most of her acting jobs were in horror movies where she played the lead roles, which is quite ironic, seeing as how Jude used to hate watching scary movies. But as of right now, Jude wasn't working on any up and coming feature films.

That's another nice perk about being an actress. You work hard for a few months, and then you have a long break. Plus, she didn't have one set boss. Sure she had her agent, but he didn't control her, he just helped her find new auditions. It was nothing like working for Darius at G-major. Even when she was finished with her albums it always seemed like he had been hounding her for more songs to start on her next one.

Something on the TV caught Jude's attention as she snapped back to reality. It was a segment on the news about a young girl who was abducted from a mall two days ago. No one knew where she was, who abducted her, or even if she was still alive. This struck a nervous chord in Jude's stomach, immediately dismissing it like a bad memory. She quickly changed the station to MTV seeing that there was some kind of interview taking place. Jude let out another sigh of disgust as she saw that it was Tom Quincy being interviewed.

It's not that she hated Tom Quincy. It was just that, to her, he seemed to not care about his life or anyone else's at all. Especially not the girls he was with in the tabloids. She couldn't really say she hated his guts because she had never met him, but to put it plainly, he was definitely not on Jude's list of favorite people. He seemed too arrogant and cocky for her taste. _Then again all men that I've ever come in contact with have been arrogant and cocky. Too full of themselves to care about how anyone else feels. All they do is cause pain._ She thought frustrated with the TV, turning it off.

Right when the TV screen switched to black a phone rang in her apartment. Reaching over the sofa she picked up the receiver, "Hello?" she said with not much enthusiasm.

"Jude? Great news. There's an audition for a new romance film up for grabs." Jude gave a groan at hearing her agent's voice, and also for him mentioning the word 'romance' in the same sentence as his greeting. She hated romances. Jude always did horror.

"A romance film?"

"Yes, it's something about how two completely different people from different worlds fall in love. You know all that sappy stuff…" Mike continued.

"Yeah but why am I doing all of the 'sappy stuff'? Isn't it you that always says that I'm better off at looking 'scared and depressed'?" she asked mockingly. She could hear him sigh on the other side of the phone.

"Yes, but there's not going to be another horror film coming out, not a good one at least," he explained, "and I actually thought you would be good for this part. The leading girl is stubborn and independent….just like you," he finished with a short laugh. Jude rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Fine, I'll audition. Who's got the male lead?" Jude asked wanting to at least know she could potentially be acting with.

"Yeah, um…about that. They haven't exactly chosen yet, actually they were going to do that tonight," he lied, "We should know by the time you audition." Jude knew something was up by the tone of his voice, but didn't press the matter further. Frankly, she was just too damn tired and couldn't care less.

"Ok, well what time are the auditions?"

"Luckily I've been able to squeeze one in for you tomorrow at one o'clock sharp, don't be late," he warned, "Once you get there you will get briefed with the character you're auditioning for, something tells me you'll do a great job at that."

"Tomorrow?" Jude whined and thought a moment. "Ok, I'll be there. Bye," she stated before hanging up on him.

_A romance film? Why is he having me act in a romance film? He knows I hate the lovey dovey crap. Maybe this is payback for the 'slut' incident? I told him I wasn't really going to do it! It was just fun to string along those guys for while, give them a taste of their own medicine. Oh well, whatever it is, there is something he is not telling me…_Jude thought walking down the hallway into her bedroom.

After Mike hung up with Jude he breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a close one," he said to himself before dialing Gary Sanchez's number. Gary was another agent like Mike that he worked side by side with on some casting calls. Gary was Tom Quincy's agent. After leaving Boyz Attack he had been recruited into the movie _Fast Lane, _which had in turn put him on the "fast lane", so to speak, to becoming an actor. Gary's phone rang four times before anyone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Gary, this is Mike," he responded into the receiver.

"Hey man, what can I do for you?"

"I was just calling to say that I talked to Jude, and she's going to audition for the part tomorrow afternoon," he said with a smile playing across his face.

"Great, I just talked to the movie casters and they told me that Quincy has officially gotten the role," Gary confirmed.

"Fantastic. I think Jude's a real shoe-in for the part. Not her usual style, but if she lands this then it will be great publicity for her." Gary gave a short emotionless laugh on the other end of the line.

"Heh, yeah Tom Quincy has a way of showing up in the tabloids, almost religiously," Gary scoffed.

"Yeah well I just wanted to call and give you the update, after I hear word on how the audition went I'll give you a call," Mike said.

"Sounds good, I'll see if I can talk to the casters tomorrow after auditions are over to try to get a sense of who will win the part."

"Awesome, I'll catch you later Gary," Mike replied.

"Sure thing."

Mike hung up the phone feeling very confident and pleased with himself. If this played out right his career could be skyrocketing with new offers for people wanting Jude to act in their movie, which meant more business for him. _Yes…this could work out very good. All we need is to get Jude to stop being so damn stubborn…_he thought turning back to his computer.


	2. Headaches and Phone Calls

**Chapter Two**

**Headaches and Phone Calls**

Jude woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. Stumbling out of bed she walked into her bathroom to get a Tylenol out of the medicine cabinet. Looking into the mirror she grimaced, _ouch…so much for beauty sleep._ After taking two pills she turned on the shower head, peeled off her clothes and stepped into the shower, turning it on massage. She finally started to wake up feeling the hot droplets of water pound against her skin.

After getting out of the shower Jude changed into her Levis with brown boots and an off-the-shoulder white top. Checking the time she saw that she had two hours before she had to appear for her audition.

Walking into the kitchen she turned on the mini TV while getting out some Cheerios and milk. Settling down on one of her barstools, she watched the morning news.

"And in other news, pop sensation turned movie star Tom Quincy was seen last night leaving Club Rouge looking quite 'friendly' with underage pop star Karma. We have yet at this time to find out about any pressing charges on Quincy's behalf…"

Jude gave another disgusted sigh and shut the TV off. _Do they ever shut up about him? Any guy who becomes one of Karma's many one night stands are idiots and man whores in my book…_Jude thought putting on her jacket to go on a walk. She needed to get her mind clear of all hostility before she went into the audition. _How can I expect to get a part in a romance movie if I act like an angry bitch?_

Before she could get to the door her phone rang. Checking the caller ID she realized it was Patsy Sewer, basically the only person she still kept in touch with from Toronto besides her family, on occasion. Many of Jude's friends were rough around the edges, but Patsy Sewer was all edges. She lives out of her car and never waits for the bars to open at night to start drinking. She was also the only person who stuck by Jude's side when the record label went commando and started ruining the music. If it wasn't for Patsy, Jude would probably still be at G-Major, dressed as a Karma look-a-like.

"Patsy? I haven't talked to you in a while," Jude spoke turning back into her kitchen.

"Yup that's me. How's Blondie doing up in the Big Apple? I've only been there once, didn't like it. Nothing useful in the dumpsters," Patsy said.

Jude gave a tiny laugh at the thought. She remembered the time she first met Patsy, which was also the first time she got arrested. "It's going pretty good; actually I have an audition today for a new movie."

"Sounds interesting, do you know what it's about?" she wanted to know, "I bet it's another one of those depressing horror ones where you always die. I especially liked that last one. The nails through your face were a nice touch."

"Actually, my agent has me auditioning for a romance movie this time," she spoke sarcastically. Patsy went belly up in laughter on the other side of the line.

"Blondie, you can't be serious. You, in a romance movie? Those are just two things that will never fit. Do you know who the lucky guy is?" she asked curiously. Jude rolled her eyes for about the tenth time in the past two days before answering.

"My agent has yet to surprise me with the answer to that question," Jude spoke, never really thinking about that aspect before. _Who is this guy? He better not be anything like Tom Quincy or I'll shoot myself…that's assuming I even get the part…_she thought suddenly remembering that she was still talking to Patsy on the other line.

"Blondie…Blondie! Earth to Blondie! You there or do I need to start making funeral arrangements?"

"What? Yeah I'm still here, I was just…spacing out for a moment. Hey look, I'd better get going, I only have a little less than an hour to be at my audition; I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"Sure thing. Good luck with the audition, try not to fall flat on your face leaning in for one of those sappy romantic kisses. Hah, it's not like you've got a lot of practice before, hot stuff," Patsy replied before clicking off the receiver.

Jude just stared at her phone with a weird look pasted on her face. She loved Patsy, but sometimes her rationale was a little strange, even for Jude. Putting the phone back on the charger she grabbed her purse from the countertop, exiting her apartment.

On her way down the stairs she couldn't help but think about what Patsy had said. _She's right, I am kind of rusty in that department. Hey it's not my fault all of the guys that have come into my life have been jerks…_ she thought, her mind suddenly wandering back to that tragic day in the mall. Jude's face glazed over emotionless. Her walking slowed to a stop as she could no longer see anything except the hideous face of her attacker. His face curled into a smile only the devil could wear.

Jude grabbed the railing for support, trying to get rid of the memories. After her heart had calmed down she kept walking, scared at the fact that she had almost gone into another panic attack. She hadn't had random flashbacks of that day in three years, and that fact scared the shit out of her.

Looking at her watch she realized she had a half hour to be at her audition and knew she better move now or she won't get there on time. _Not that I want that part, but it's not like I have a better idea. _

Walking through the double glass doors of the studio, she saw Mike talking to another one of his agent friends. He saw Jude walk in and hurried off to greet her. He was in his usual navy blue business suit with a cheesy smile stamped across his face.

"Jude! Just the girl I was looking for," he started guiding her through the hallway into a room on the right hand side of the building. Jude had been here many times for auditioning purposes and knew her way around pretty well.

"Well it's your lucky day then," Jude said to Mike, obviously not in the mood for small talk. Still the smile remained unaltered and his mood seemed unchanged. Jude knew better. This was his business smile, because you "never want to make a bad impression". She heard that saying from him so many times she was about ready to embroider it to a pillow and give it to him as a gift on his next birthday. Although then that creates the problem of having to learn embroidery. _I'll hold on the birthday gift idea…_she thought tuning back into the conversation.

Mike's stare turned stone under her gaze. He never liked a smart aleck, especially from his clients. Normally Jude tried hard to avoid these conversations about behavior, but today she just wasn't in the mood.

"Jude," his voice dropped down to a whisper, "today is very important for your career. You _need_ this movie gig, so I suggest you cut the attitude. You need to make an impression on these people, and it better be a good one," he said stepping back a little and regaining his businessman-like state.

Guiding Jude across the long room Mike introduced her to various people who were apart of the production of the movie. Most seemed better tempered and easier to work with than some she had come across in her few years of acting. That was a major relief. There was nothing worse than having to work for directors and producers who never knew what they wanted, causing you to repeat countless scenes becoming tired and cranky. No one wants a cranky actress, especially a stubborn one.

After meeting and schmoozing with a few people, Mike handed a booklet over to Jude. It was the script audition book. It held a description of the movie with the description of her character she was auditioning for. Plus a few scenes in which she would have to act out with a stand-in reading off the other part.

"Read this over, do a good job at it," he said with a stern stare before continuing, "memorize the scenes, and then come back whenever you're ready to audition. Just remember to come back, auditions close at six, so be back here by at least five o'clock. You have," he checked his watch, "3 hours, have fun," Mike finished before turning and walking into another side room.

Jude walked out of the studio, book in hand, and found a nearby hot dog stand realizing her need for food. After paying she settled herself on a nearby bench and opened the booklet.

"Fatal Temptation," Jude repeated, reading the title of the movie. _Never knew of a romance movie that was "Fatal". This might not be so bad…_she thought glancing through the pages.

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**A/N: Okay thank you to those who have read and commented. Tommy is in the next chapter I believe, so stay tuned! **

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	3. Blue Eyes and Bounty Hunters

**A/N: Okay this is the last chapter I'm posting until I come back from my soccer camp on Sunday. Oh and I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I don't have any real knowledge of how the movie industry and casting calls go and things like that...so if anyone out there reading this does...sorry if it's really unrealistic. But besides that, please read and review! The comments mean a lot to me!**

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**Chapter Three**

**Blue Eyes and Bounty Hunters**

Jude sat on the park bench rummaging through her purse. Finally finding her cell phone, reads the time. It's four o'clock. She stared at it dumbfounded. Had two hours actually gone by? She had been so engrossed in the booklet she had barely noticed how much time had flown.

In those past two hours she learned about her character she was auditioning for, Christina Hamilton. She was a headstrong independent 25-year-old who didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. Didn't that sound familiar? She hated her name and chose to go by Chris instead of Christina. Her life was the average boring life anyone would kill to get rid of: A job that you hate, but have to do to earn money so you can pay your monthly rent for your less than average apartment. But of course if matters couldn't get any better, she loses her job and is forced to go out job hunting.

After reading through the next few paragraphs Jude couldn't help but let out a small laugh. _Bounty Hunter? My character is going to become a Bounty Hunter? Oh that's hysterical…_Jude thought, trying to picture herself with a .45 strapped to her belt next to a stun gun, apprehending fugitives who 'forget' to come to their assigned court date. _This movie better be a comedy._

Reading through the first five pages she had been curious as to Mike's declaration of this being a romance movie. So far, nothing had caught her eye that would strike as anything associated with romance. _All I see is one girl who made a very…very…bad career move._ She thought, a smirk still playing across her face.

Turning the page Jude started to see the plot unfold. Chris had a boyfriend, bingo. _Romantic aspect number one._ His name was Jake Morsteen, age 26 and was currently working at an accounting business. _Can you say…boring?_ But apparently his looks had well made up for his boring job. They had been dating for 2 years and were serious but not serious enough to get hitched or move in together.

Flipping the next page over Jude learned of the bond agency that Chris would be working at. She would be working side by side with another bounty hunter named Ashton. No last name, just Ashton. He was very mysterious, and he would supposedly be her mentor for learning the trade. From the sounds of it his looks were also a bit on the dark side, but equally if not more attractive than Jake. _Romantic aspect number two._ Before flipping the next page Jude made a bet with herself that Chris would end up falling for Ashton.

Finally reading the next page she couldn't help but smile. _Am I good at guessing or what?_ She thought, reading on about the action packed story that would unfold between Ashton and Chris.

After memorizing the scenes she was to know for her audition, Jude was surprised because she actually found herself _wanting_ to get this part. She thought it had enough action in it to keep her satisfied, but at the same time, there wasn't enough of it that would leave her character dead or depressed by the end. Plus she got to try her hand at being a bounty hunter. _Not something that everyone can say that they've done before…_

If Jude had to put the movie under one genre she wouldn't be able to do it. She would classify this as a romance, comedy, drama, and action all-in-one. She wasn't fond of romances, but after reading the booklet it didn't strike her as a sappy story that would have boyfriends across the nation rolling their eyes, counting the minutes until they got to go home and watch Sports Center. It was the kind that the women would love because of romance between Ashton and Chris, and the guys would love because it's an action movie with bounty hunter takedowns.

Finally realizing if she didn't leave now she would be late, Jude gathered her purse and booklet and headed back. The studio was only a few blocks away, but she wanted to make sure she had some time to spare. It wasn't a good impression if you were running in out of breath and then realized you were also late.

Jude had just rounded the corner one block away from the studio, walking very quickly trying to make good time. However, this being New York, she wasn't looking very closely to where she was walking and collided smack into someone, which sent her flying back on her butt. She shook her head trying to shake off the fall. Looking up at who she had run into she found an amazing pair of blue eyes staring back at her holding out a hand for her to take. Jude took the hand and stood up making sure she still had her purse and everything in it. Realizing that someone was trying to talk to her, her head snapped up to see the same pair of blue eyes staring back at her. However, now she finally recognized who they belonged to. Tom Quincy. Jude stepped back a little bit and brushed some hair out of her face. She felt a little uncomfortable standing in front of him, and it had nothing to do with how hot he looked.

"Are you okay?" Tommy asked, "I didn't see you coming. Where are you headed off to so fast?" A smile spread across Tommy's face. It was the smile she had seen so many times on television. She tried hard not to cringe, but was finding the task very hard.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jude said exasperated not wanting to get caught up in a conversation. "I have an audition and I just don't want to be late for it," she explained giving him a look that said, 'Don't even think about it.' Suddenly curiosity ate at her. Why was Tommy in New York? Didn't he live in L.A. or something? "What are you doing here? I've never seen you around before," her voice came off a little harsher than intended. But by then her body language had swiped the cheesy grin off of Tommy's face, replaced by one that Jude couldn't decipher.

"Well if you really want to know, I was here to pick up my script. I've just been given a part in a new movie." _Oh no, _Jude thought. She tried to come up with a quick excuse to get out of there, so she checked her watch, seeing that she had only five minutes to get inside.

"Hey listen, I have to go. I can't be late for the audition. Sorry for running you over," she said trying to give an apologetic smile.

"Alright, see ya." Next thing she knew, Tommy was gone, and Jude flew into the studio in relief.

Her brain was going a mile a minute. She really wanted the part, but she sure as hell did not want to do it all the while being near Tommy. He made her nervous, well all guys did, but he made her pissed as well as nervous. When Jude's pissed, it's not good for anybody.

Checking the mirror Jude straightened out a few strands of hair that had been misplaced during the fall. Taking out some clear lip gloss she painted her lips, then stepped back to take a full look. _Better…_she thought heading into the room that held the auditions. Walking in a bee-line towards Mike she didn't give him any time to talk before her, she wanted answers.

"What part is Tom Quincy playing?" she asked hands on hips with a 'Don't mess with me' tone. Mike shifted a little in his stance, looking nervous all of a sudden. He hated it when Jude got all edgy, sometimes it made him want to run for his life. He was also afraid of what she would do to him when he told her.

"He's playing…Ashton," Mike said very slowly, afraid of seeing her reaction and praying to god she wouldn't go down into smack down mode. The producers and directors would not cast Jude if she went into smack down mode.

There was fire in Jude's eyes as she looked away from Mike. _I can't believe he set me up with an audition where I could be working with Tom Quincy. He knows what the consequences of this could turn out to be! He better not be blaming me when I go into smack down mode on his ass. That's assuming I get the part._ Jude thought before an idea hit her, making her almost check above her head for a light bulb. Getting the role next to Tom would mean she would actually get to vent all of the anger that she had built up inside her for once. And when it did, she was sure Tom would be screaming and running in the other direction. _Yeah this might not be so bad; I can get my chance to beat up Tom Quincy. Oh yeah…I'm gonna get that part…_

Mike watched Jude with mixed feelings. He was glad she hadn't gone into smack down mode, but was also curious as to why she didn't. Plus, the evil grin spreading across her face couldn't mean anything good. Actually, he kind of would have preferred the smack down mode, because that way he would know how to handle it, he didn't know how to handle this.

"Ok then," Jude said somewhat calmly before turning away from Mike. Her devilish grin still in place, she headed into the next room to start her audition. She was completely ready, and she was sure she would nail it. There were no doubts in her mind. However there were some in Mike's, but only his weren't about the audition.


	4. Death Threats

**A/N: Okay this is where the story starts to pick up more. I really like this chapter, and I hope you guys do too. There's a lot more than meets the eye with Jude and you'll see more of that to come in future chapters. Read and please Review!**

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**Chapter Four**

**Death Threats**

The next day Jude strutted out of the audition room very pleased with herself. She had just gone in for her callback and thought she had nailed it. Now there was officially no doubt in her mind that she would get the part. Mike was watching with great curiosity, still having no clue what was going on in her blonde little head. Her behavior since yesterday scared him a little bit, but as long as she did her best to get the part, it didn't matter to him. However, it was the fact that she was actually _trying_ to win the part that intrigued him most.

"Ok Jude, spill it," Mike said bluntly, walking up to Jude. Jude just gave him a questioning look, pretending to know nothing.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your sudden eagerness to get the part. Especially after learning who the male lead is," Mike voiced.

"Nothing's going on. I just really think I can do a good job in this movie. Wasn't it you who told me I would be perfect for the role?"

"And what about Quincy, why haven't you decapitated his head yet?" Mike said only half joking. All of a sudden there was a voice coming from Mike's direction.

"And why would she want to decapitate _my_ head," Tommy said as he sauntered over into their conversation. The smirk that had ever so nicely fit Jude's face the past two days had returned while she held her stance with confidence, turning to face Tommy.

"Oh I don't know," Jude started sarcastically, "Maybe because you're a womanizer?" she finished mockingly tilting her head to the side. Tommy turned to face Jude directly with a serious stare.

"And how do you know this?" he asked arms across his chest, "Because you've known me for what, five seconds?"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure you out. All they have to do is flip on the TV and there you are, with your new flavor of the week!"

"Are you kidding me? So what I'm not allowed to go out anymore? It's not my fault the cameras follow me everywhere," he said stepping closer to get in her face. Jude responded with another step forward, showing that she's not stepping down.

"If you're not in love with publicity then why do you keep giving them something to talk about?" Jude hissed.

"You're asking for it," he said with force, following up with another step forward. They were face to face, only inches apart. Jude could hear his breathing as she stared straight into his dark blue eyes.

Jude only smirked at this statement, "You have no idea what you got yourself into," she replied, never breaking eye contact. The air between them was electrified by their staring contest, daring the other the look away first. "I'll have you wishing you were dead," Jude threatened. Tommy didn't even blink.

"Not a chance," he replied in a harsh whisper.

Dave, the director, had been watching the whole show that was being put on in front of him. He only wore a smile, despite the fact that Jude had just threatened one of his actors. _That's our girl…_he thought walking over to Jude breaking their little argument and took her by the shoulder.

"You got the part!" Dave stated excitedly. Everyone looked at him confused at what just happened. Tommy was the first one to voice his opinion.

"What do you mean she got the part? She just threatened me!" he exclaimed. The director only shook his head, never changing expressions.

"If you saw what I just saw, then you would've seen exactly the kind of chemistry we want for our two leads," he said with excitement turning to face Jude, "Jude, come in tomorrow to pick up your script at around, oh let's say…ten o'clock?" Dave said before walking away back into the audition room. Everyone stared after him in shock.

Jude looked back at Tommy, sending him a death glare. She was about to walk straight past him when she felt his arm reach out to stop her. His touch sent chills up her spine and she brushed his arm off, never once shaking her confident stance.

"Why do you hate me?" Tommy asked calmly out of curiosity. His eyes weren't as fierce as before, lightening to a crystal blue. Her stomach did another flip as she stepped back out of his reach.

"Isn't it obvious?" she replied harshly before walking out of the room and out of the building. Tommy just stared after her with curiosity and anger. No one had ever talked to him like that before, no one. _She doesn't even know me and she's already arranging my funeral! If she thinks she can break me that easily, she's wrong. Very, very wrong…_Tommy thought tearing his gaze from the door.

When Jude got back into her apartment she couldn't help but smile. Not only did she get the role of Chris, she got to threaten Tommy as well. _He deserved it…_she thought to herself recalling their conversation. _I can't believe he thinks he can break me down. There's no way in hell that's ever going to happen. No one has ever been able to break me down, and that is not changing…_

Jude walked into the kitchen of her apartment, doing the ritual of setting her purse on the counter and checking the answering machine before entering her bedroom. Removing a t-shirt and boy shorts from her dresser she walked into the bathroom and started filling up the bathtub. Reaching into the cabinet below the sink she grabbed a pink bottle of bubble bath, pouring a cap full into the water.

Lowering herself in the tub she instantly felt relaxed. She was finally in her comfort zone, able to lose herself in her own thoughts. Sometimes the thoughts weren't so great, but tonight was a much better night. She couldn't help but feel happy knowing that she finally got to lash out on Quincy.

The director had been a little strange in his reasoning to cast her, but Jude didn't care. Although she couldn't help but wonder what chemistry he was talking about. _I never thought someone would want two people who would kill each other in an instant to become leads in a romance movie._ She thought with a burst of short laughter.

After about a half hour Jude got out of the tub, dried off and pulled on the t-shirt and shorts. Walking into the kitchen she grabbed the phone book, looking for the number to the Chinese restaurant down the block. Finding it she picked up the phone and ordered a spicy chicken stir-fry with rice. Placing the phone back in its socket it began to ring almost instantly. Jude picked up the phone and put it to her ear.

"Hello?" She answered, reaching into the fridge for bottled water. Realizing that no one was answering on the other side she said hello again, only to hear loud breathing coming from the other end. Jude's heart started racing realizing that it wasn't just a bad connection. The breathing continued, not answering her.

"Hello?" Jude asked again, hoping for a response. All she heard was the click of someone hanging up. Carefully placing the phone back on the hook she couldn't help but feel a jab of fear strike through her. She looked at the caller ID to see that the number had been blocked. She felt her heartbeat increase a few notches as she sat down on the bar stool trying to calm down. _Calm down Jude, it was just a phone call. Nothing to get worried over…_she told herself taking a sip of water.

The phone rang again loudly, causing Jude to jump in her seat. All thoughts of calming down disappeared, replaced with an eerie feeling forming into a knot inside her stomach. Carefully Jude reached across the counter toward the phone, which was still producing a loud ring. Looking at the caller ID she let out a long breath of relief, recognizing the number. It was Amy, one of her good friends that she had met upon her arrival in New York. Letting the answering machine pick up she took another swig of water. She loved Amy, but sometimes she could chew your ear off on the phone. It was better if Jude just called her back later.

Finally calmed down after the mysterious phone call, Jude walked into her living room turning on the TV. Sitting down on the couch she decided she could just watch TV until the Chinese came. Finding MTV she found that Cribs was on, the only show she really liked to watch on that station. Everything else was stupid ways to entertain youth with dating and crap. Not something that Jude was interested in, in her life.

The TV showed an amazing house in sunny California with tons of cars in the driveway. Admiring them she saw a familiar face come onto the screen. Of course, it was Tom Quincy. _What is it lately with me finding him on TV? It's like it he follows me everywhere…_she thought with disdain looking at the gorgeous specimen show off his assortment of cars. He turned toward the camera and Jude could see his blue eyes. She felt the same flip in her stomach return, causing her to grab the remote and abruptly switch the channel.


	5. I Think I'm Going Crazy

**A/N: Hey sorry to keep you guys waiting! Soccer and band have started back up for me and I'm a little more busy than before. But I know a few of you had questions about what was going on, so I'm going to answer them: Jude won Instant Star when she was 15, but left almost the same year because of things to be revealed. But she didn't know Tommy, he had his own career back then with Boyz Attack and then the movie industry. So until now they never met each other. Her hostility? It's part of her character in this fic, because of her past (that you will find more out) but becuase of her dad and other situations she has an angry spot for guys. It may not make sense now, but it will soon. I can't really answer them any further than that b/c you have to read it for yourself, that's where the suspense comes in. You find things out little by little in this story. **

**So here's the next Chapter, hope you enjoy! Remember to read and review!!**

**Chapter Five**

**I Think I'm Going Crazy**

The next morning Jude woke up with a jolt. Her breathing was rigid as she turned to the clock, seeing it was eight thirty. She couldn't remember what she had dreamt about, but she knew it couldn't be anything good by the way she felt. Her heart was racing and she was filled with an eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Calming herself down Jude got up out of bed, grabbed some clothes and headed for the shower. She stood under the water for ten minutes, finally feeling at ease from whatever she had dreamt about. Stepping out of the shower she did the hair and make-up thing, dressing in her normal outfit of jeans, t-shirt, and boots.

An hour later Jude was on her way to pick up her script from Dave. She decided to drive seeing as how it had started to rain. The sky was gloomy and gray, showing no sign of the sun. Pulling out of the parking garage, Jude made a right turn heading for the movie set. Turning on the radio, she tuned into a rock station singing along to Nirvana. No matter how much she could deny it, a certain part of her missed music; it was something that she couldn't throw away. You can take Jude out of the music, but you can't take the music out of Jude.

Pulling into the parking lot, Jude thought she was well prepared to play the part of independent bounty hunter. It was something different, something fun. _Then again the fact that I get to use a gun could be a plus. Even if it is fake; pretending never hurt no body…_

Jude confidently entered through the studio finding Dave in a room off to the right hand side. He was talking to Tommy, whom neither noticed her entrance. Jude's attitude started to turn a little toward the cranky side. She couldn't help it. Whenever she saw Tommy she wanted to strangle someone; preferably Tommy.

Tommy looked up when Jude walked into the room. His face was unreadable, no matter how long you stared at it. Dave also looked up seeing Jude walking toward them. His expression was definitely readable. He wore a smile a mile long, appearing genuinely pleased to see her.

"Jude, here's you're script," Dave said handing Jude a massive booklet, "I was just telling Tommy here that we will start production in about two weeks, next week being a read through. We still have a few small parts being auditioned and will have those decided by the end of the week."

Jude nodded her head along to what Dave was saying, not finding a problem with any of it. Until he proposed that she spent a few days with Tommy…

"Come again?" Jude asked startled.

"I said that until we start producing I want you to spend some time together, get to know each other," Dave explained, "I can't have my two leads coming on set and just acting on a whim. You have to look like you are best buds. How can that happen if you only see each other when going to film? It's all about chemistry," Dave smiled looking from Tommy to Jude.

Tommy and Jude glanced at each other in disgust. They obviously didn't even want to be in the same room with the other, let alone talk and spend time together. She hated him, and he hated her. Everyone saw that…but Dave. Before either of the two had a chance to put their piece of mind in, Dave walked away from them, leaving the room.

Jude stared at Tommy with a disgusted look on her face. How the heck would she get through the day with Tommy hanging around her? _Ten bucks says I'll be sending Tommy to the hospital by the end of week. If not I'll sign myself up for a mental institution._

"What?" Tommy asked Jude, annoyed with the way she was looking at him. Jude's expression turned to anger. It was becoming something of a reaction whenever he opened his mouth.

"Nothing," Jude started, "I just don't know how he expects me to spend a whole day talking with _you_," she spat. Tommy rolled his eyes.

"It's not going to be a picnic for me either," Tommy returned with the same amount of venom.

"Well good. At least we can agree to hate each other." Tommy just stared at her.

"What is wrong with you? No, better question, what's wrong with me? What did I ever do to you?"

"Not to me, but girls across the country, Quincy. I know your type very well, trust me. You're nothing but a jerk," Jude said with emotion. Tommy was taken aback by her tone at first. He quickly regained his original temper and argued back.

"Oh yeah, because you know so much about me, I'll tell you something… you don't know shit about me!"

"Are you kidding me?! You're life is laid out there for everyone to read like a book!" Jude yelled frustrated.

"Yeah, it's called the tabloid version! Ever think that the tabloids are never 100 true?" Tommy asked causing a blank stare from Jude. No, she had never thought about that. The way they always talked about him being the player and the way he acted through the media she never second guessed any of it. However this didn't take Jude off the high horse she was riding now. She would _not_ look like a fool in front of Tommy.

"Are you telling me, that you've never, not once, taken advantage of a girl?" Jude replied, ego still in place. Tommy turned away, obviously frustrated with Jude, running his hands through his hair. After a while he turned his head back to answer her in a calmer tone.

"Back during my Boyz Attack days, I used to have a different girl in every city. Some crazy obsessed fans. Those were the days when the tabloids used to be right. That's what started them following me. After I quit they started to follow me everywhere, out to clubs, movies, whatever. Most of the time they made a scandal where there was none. Sometimes it was a girl setting me up, wanting to get her 15 minutes of fame. But I've never actually taken advantage of a girl since my one night stands during Boyz Attack. One day I woke up and saw that it was getting me nowhere, only to make a fool out of myself, so I quit," he finished looking to see a reaction from Jude.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Jude asked arms across her chest.

Tommy walked over to her never taking his eyes off of hers. Soon he was only about a few inches from her. Jude shifted under his gaze, feeling uneasy all of a sudden. She felt like he could see straight through her, through everything she had hid behind in her life. Jude couldn't take her eyes off of him. She could tell that he was actually telling the truth about the tabloids. She didn't want to admit it, but he was. She tried looking away from him, shifting her stance again. He brought a hand to her face, turning it back to face him.

"You don't have much of a choice," Tommy replied answering her previous question. He pulled his hand away, leaving Jude's skin burning. Her stomach did another somersault. Feeling uncomfortable Jude walked away from him, creating some distance.

"Ok so you're not who I thought," Jude said turning to face him. A smug grin spread across Tommy's face. "But that doesn't mean we're going to be best buds or anything," Jude finished quickly. Tommy gave a short laugh.

"Girl, if I was best friends with you I would have spent all my money on aspirin by now," Tommy said with a small smile. Jude scoffed and hit him playfully on the shoulder.

Tommy took a step back bringing his hands up to stop her from hitting him. "I probably would be dead too," he added.

"Oh you asked for it," Jude said chasing Tommy around the room.

Tommy ran behind a table, trying to keep her away from him. Jude started chasing him around the table trying to catch up to him. However she started to run in the opposite direction when Tommy decided to chase after her instead. Reaching the door Jude tried frantically to open it, only to be pulled back by a pair of strong arms. Jude tried to get out of his grasp as he held onto her tighter trying not to laugh at the expression on her face. Suddenly Tommy got an idea. He started to tickle Jude causing her to laugh, scream, and kick.

"Tommy! Stop it!" Jude tried to get out between laughs. In the struggle she had fallen to the ground still trying to escape Tommy's death grip. Tommy was trying hard not to laugh at the sight of Jude beneath him. He decided to grant her mercy from the tickling, but wouldn't let her get up from her place on the floor.

"Tommy, come on!" Jude said trying to get up. Tommy stopped her with a smile on his face. They just sat there looking at each other, not moving. The expression on Tommy's face grew more serious as he stared into her baby blue eyes. Jude once again found herself not being able to tear her eyes away from his. Tommy started to move closer to Jude, who still wasn't moving.

However before he could close the distance between them they heard a click and a flash went off. Looking up suddenly they found a reporter running away quickly, holding their camera tightly. Tommy jumped up running out of the room to try to chase the guy down, leaving Jude alone in the room.

Jude sat there staring at the door, not believing what would've happened if they hadn't been interrupted. _What is wrong with me? What was I doing? Tom Quincy was about to kiss me and I was just sitting there letting him get closer! I am so stupid. He thinks he can just waltz in here and sweep me off my feet, well he's wrong. I'm not going to be another girl to add to his collection. Despite the crap about what he says with tabloids not being true. For all I know that could've been a lie too, I know he's good at that…_Jude scoffed standing up and dusting herself off. Tommy entered the room again looking flustered.

"I didn't catch him," Tommy spat out breathlessly. Jude stood there arms protectively across her body. Tommy noticed her sudden hostility and decided to question it. "What's wrong?" Jude turned her head away from him, then back again.

"You, that's what's wrong," Jude replied with anger walking over to the table where she had left her purse. Picking up her script and her purse she headed for the door. Tommy tried to stop her by reaching out. "Let. Go." Jude shook off his arm, walking out the door.

"Jude…" Tommy tried, but was ignored as Jude walked out of the building and into her

car. Tommy watched her with curiosity and confusion as Jude pulled out of the parking lot. _That girl is insane…_he thought having no clue what was going on inside her head. _It'll be a miracle if I get through this movie production; she's all over the place! _But Tommy still couldn't shake the image of her crystal blue eyes out of his mind.


	6. Losing My Sanity

**A/N: Thank you to the people who are commenting! They are really appreciated and I hope you continue to do so. You might be a little confused on certain things after this chapter, like when Jude mentions a name. Don't worry, everything will be explained due course. And I do not own the song "Rectifier" by Ra. Enjoy the chapter and remember to review!!**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Losing My Sanity**

Jude sped out of the parking lot in a rush to get away. She didn't have anyplace to be; she just wanted to get the hell away from Tom Quincy. She couldn't believe he had almost tried to kiss her. _The jerk…_she thought pressing down harder on the accelerator. _But I didn't do anything to stop him either…_she thought mentally slapping herself on the side of the face.

As she continued driving she couldn't get the picture of his eyes out of her mind. How his eyes turn to a darker lustful blue when he's angry. How they entrance her, paralyzing her every move. Getting even more frustrated she turned on the radio trying to find a good rock station. Scanning through the channels she came across one playing Ra, one of her favorite bands. Cranking up the radio she continued on her drive to nowhere at lightning speed.

_I'm still afraid of the ghosts that can see me_

_They know my thoughts, they read my mind_

_Beside myself I judge my condition_

_I close my eyes but can't go blind_

_  
_Jude felt a smirk play across her face. There was nothing like speeding in a Porsche to nowhere blaring loud music. She loved the feeling of not caring where she went.

_I'm feeling all the heat, all the chaos_

_It's gotten underneath my skin,_

_So far to go to reach absolution_

_My sanity, my soul runs thin_

_Why don't you care?_

_Don't, don't you dare_

_Rectifier, how's the world supposed to be?_

_Rectifier, Take my hand and rescue me_

Jude heard her cell phone ringing inside her purse. She turned down the radio and flipped it open, not recognizing the caller. Her mind flashed back to last night, and almost expected it to be the loud-breathing caller again. Opening her phone she felt her heart quicken slightly.

"Hello?" She asked cautiously.

"Pull Over!"

Jude did an exaggerated eye roll. She knew exactly who the person was, and was half tempted to hang up, but curiosity got the better of her.

"How did you get my number, Quincy?" she asked with annoyance.

"I got it from your agent, now pull over. We need to talk."

"No, we don't. You need to leave me the hell alone," Jude answered looking into her rear view mirror. She saw a blue viper, with someone who had very similar characteristics to Tom, tailing her. "Why did you follow me?"

"Because you just ran out on me today and _my _agent just bit my head off for not following Dave's orders," he replied frustrated.

"Well too bad, I'm not going to sit around all day listening to your lame stories about being in a 90s boy band."

"If you don't pull over I'm just going to keep following you until you stop somewhere. You can't drive all day Jude, you have to get go get gas eventually," he stated.

Jude gave another sigh of disgust and disconnected the phone. She knew that he was right. She only had about another fourth tank of gas left, and didn't have enough cash on her to buy any more. So instead of pulling over she did the exact opposite. She put the pedal to the metal and flew down the street, making turns every other road. Continuing this pattern for about 5 minutes she was sure she had lost Quincy in all of the traffic.

Deciding it was safe to go home, Jude found her bearings and make a few more quick turns arriving at the apartment complex. Parking her car in her usual spot, she got out and locked it, walking toward the elevator.

Reaching her floor Jude felt a little spring in her step. She eluded Quincy for one more day, all the while getting to take her Porsche out for a spin. She never got the chance that often, because frankly she didn't want to get it stolen. Plus, on most days it was easier to just walk or take the subways.

Jude's spring turned into a dead halt at the sight of her apartment door. Her heartbeat quickened, seeing that it was ajar. Someone had broken into her apartment. Jude stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. Even though it was New York, this was a pretty good building. No one has ever reported of breaking and entering that often.

Her trembling hands reached out for the doorknob, barely grasping it. Pushing the door open all the way she felt a little relieved seeing her apartment wasn't trashed. However she felt her heart pounding harder and harder with each step that she took.

"Hello?" Jude called out, barely recognizing her own voice. It was shaky and afraid, faltering between the two syllables of one simple word.

No one replied back to her. Not that she was expecting it. It was a wasted effort to call out anyway. It's not like anyone would have come out to greet her upon breaking into her home. Still, she heard the sound of her heart pounding through her chest.

Jude took one step into the hallway, leaving her door open behind her. Looking around she couldn't hear any noises coming from any of the rooms. Taking an umbrella that was propped up next to an end table, Jude cautiously took a few more steps into the room. Going into the kitchen she found nothing misplaced, broken or taken. That should have been comforting, but for some reason her chest kept pounding, increasing her breathing. Stepping into the living room she did a quick scan and came up with same results as the kitchen.

Suddenly she glanced toward her closed bedroom door. Why was it closed? It was always open, at least during the day when she wasn't sleeping. Raising the umbrella to a baseball position she found the courage to move forward. Now almost every part of her body was shaking. Her eyes started to water, her hands were twitching involuntarily, and it took most of her energy to keep her knees from buckling under.

Carefully and slowly, Jude turned the door knob and pushed the door forward. Not moving she just stared into the room as far as she could see without stepping into it. Again, nothing was damaged or taken. However there was a piece of paper left on the pillow of her bed. After standing still for a few minutes, making sure she heard absolutely no movement, she took the first few steps into the room. That's when she saw her window was open, the breeze drifting in causing the room to feel cold. Chills ran up her spine, knowing that her window was closed and locked before she left. She halted in her place and listened for any sounds that might indicate an intruder. Still shaking, she walked over to her pillow and took the piece of paper. Taking a few deep breaths she calmed herself before reading the four simple words scrawled across the page: _You will be mine._

Jude immediately dropped the paper letting out a small scream. She ran from the room, not being able to control her fear any longer. Dropping the umbrella she ran through the living room and out of the apartment door, colliding with Tommy, who was walking up the stairs.

"I'm so sorry!" Jude managed to get out, not paying attention to anything but her target, the Porsche. Tommy looked at her face, which screamed of fear. He quickly glanced at her door which she had left wide open. Jude tried to run down the stairs but Tommy got in her way, preventing her from going any farther.

Jude had only one thing on her mind, and that was to get away…far away. Suddenly someone reached out and grabbed her. Jude thrashed and screamed, trying to get out of the grasp.

"Jude?! Jude!!" Tommy yelled, trying to get through to her. Jude finally looked up and realized that it was Tommy trying to stop her. She stopped fighting and looked up into his eyes, feeling defeated.

Not being able to contain her fear or emotions any longer, Jude just let go. A wave of tears came crashing down her face as her legs gave out from underneath her. Tommy reacted instantly catching her from falling down the stairs. He had no clue what was going on with her as he hugged her tight, glancing back at her apartment door. Jude clung onto him burying her face in his chest, not caring about anything but being safe. And for some reason she couldn't figure out, she felt safe in Tommy's arms.

"Sshhh…it's going to be okay," Tommy whispered into her ear, trying to calm her down. He didn't know why he was doing this, but it just felt like the right thing to do. After a few minutes, Jude gained a little composer and tried to step back. Still feeling weak, her legs wobbled underneath her. Tommy reached out to steady her as Jude wiped away the last tear that had fallen down her cheek.

"What happened, Jude?" Tommy asked with curiosity.

Jude stared wearily at her door, trying to get the note out of her mind. _You will be mine._ Who would write something like that? Obviously someone who knew her well enough to know where she lived. For a split second her mind flashed back to Cole, but she quickly dismissed it._ There's just no way. _She thought, but not very convincingly.

Then her mind drifted back to the no name caller. Jude remembered that while she was in the kitchen, her answering machine was blinking. She had a message. Not thinking straight, Jude slowly walked away from Tommy and into her apartment.

She felt a little better knowing no one was in there with her, finding more courage to walk into the kitchen. Tommy was close behind her, still waiting for an answer. Without a thought in her mind she reached for the button on the answering machine and pushed it down, the action feeling like a slow motion replay. The sound of the answering machine crackled and filled the room.

Nothing but loud breathing came out of the speaker. Jude's heart started beating faster than before, never taking her eyes off of the machine. Finally a raspy, harsh voice filled the room.

"You _will_ be mine, Jude," the caller said finishing off with a throaty laugh that made Jude cringe. Quickly Jude pushed stop and sat down in a chair, putting her head between her legs as a wave of nausea coursed through her stomach.

Tommy stood still not really knowing what to do. He knew the message had something to do with her running out of the apartment, but he was still confused. _What the hell is going on?_ He kept asking himself, setting himself down into a chair beside Jude.

After the nausea passed, Jude slowly sat up looking torn. Her expression was tired and weak, and Tommy had never seen anyone so afraid or pale in his life. Moving closer he put a hand on Jude's shoulder looking her square in the eye with a serious yet soft expression.

"Jude…what's going on?" he asked slowly.

Jude took a few deeps breaths, staring back toward the answering machine. A million thoughts were racing through her head, not being able to come up with a single person who would do this. Or a reason they would do it for that matter. Looking back at Tommy she realized he had been talking to her. She barely even noticed him entering the apartment behind her.

"Huh?"

"Jude, what happened? You look like you just saw a ghost," he explained. Jude quickly tried to stand up, not wanting to explain her situation to Tommy, of all people. She walked over to counter, starting up a pot of coffee.

"It's…it's nothing. I…um…I just saw a spider, got scared, and ran," Jude tried, knowing her explanation was lame. She didn't want to tell him the truth, but she wasn't in the right frame of mind to think of a plausible excuse. Tommy looked at her strangely. Jude glanced back at him nervously, "It was a big spider." Tommy got up, walking over to Jude. He faced her so that she had to look at him in the eye.

"I'll ask again. What's wrong? You ran out of your apartment like someone was trying to kill you. And who was that on your answering machine?" Jude sighed and stepped back, bringing a hand to her face. Her blue eyes started pooling, but she quickly blinked and brushed the tears away.

Taking a deep breath she looked back at Tommy. His stance was confident, his expression soft, his eyes intense. Jude had to admit, she was attracted to him. Any girl wouldn't be straight if they weren't. Attraction doesn't count though, there were tons of guys Jude were attracted to that she would never want to be with. Plus at the moment, attraction was the farthest thing from Jude's mind. Memories from her past filled her head, all coming back to the one guy who stained her life. Closing her eyes she tried to rid the painful flashbacks, finding it harder each time she tried.

"Someone…broke into my apartment," Jude started, keeping her head down. "Nothing was taken or broken; they just left a note…" her hands started trembling as she reached down to pour the coffee into a mug. Tommy leaned against the counter totally absorbed in what she was saying. When she didn't continue, he spoke up wanting more information.

"What did the note say?" he asked carefully. Jude's hands started shaking violently, as she set her mug down on the counter.

"Um…it…said the same thing…as the answering machine," she spoke slowly in a weak voice. Not being able to control the shaking, Jude closed her eyes trying to place herself anywhere but her apartment. Tears slid down her face slowly.

Tommy hated seeing Jude cry. Even though this was none of his business, he wanted to make her feel better, to see her smile again. Even if it was directed toward some evil plan she had against him. Stepping forward he pulled her into a warm hug. Jude just stood still at first, trying to resist. All she wanted was to be alone right now. However the feeling of safety quickly overcame her strongest willpower.


	7. Mask of Confusion

**A/N: Thank you guys for the c****omments, they're always welome and I hope to see more of them! Hope you enjoy this ****chapter too!**

**Chapter Seven**

**Mask of Confusion**

Jude embraced Tommy, loving the feeling of safety. It's something that she never really had throughout her life, let alone from a guy. All the men Jude had known through her life had been screw ups or criminals, always hurting her or disappointing her. Slowly realization dawned on her again about her no named stalker. Someone knew where she lived and was able to break into her apartment. The thought came bluntly and filled her with an uneasiness that wouldn't go away.

She clung onto Tommy tighter, taking in the scent of his cologne. It made her feel relaxed somehow and helped slow down her breathing back to normal. Suddenly an eerie thought filled her mind. _How did Tommy know where I live? I'm almost positive that I lost him on my way here. And…wait a minute. Mike knows my cell phone number?_ Jude pulled back unsteadily, looking him in the eyes with a questioning look of fear.

"How did you know where to find me?" Jude asked slowly, scared of his answer. Tommy stared at her for a second, before realization of what she was insinuating dawned on him. He quickly shook his head then looked her square in the eye.

"You can't possibly think I was the one who left the message, do you? I didn't even know you lived in this building until I saw your car entering the parking garage," Tommy explained in his defense. Jude looked at him with a different expression, one of confusion.

"How did you see my car? I thought I lost you with all of the turns?" Tommy looked at her and gave her a half smile.

"You did. That's when I gave up, coming back to my apartment. But that's also when I saw you coming into the parking garage and realized that you lived in this building too."

Jude looked at him in disbelief, not really knowing if she could trust him. Tommy pulled his keys out and showed Jude that he actually did live there. Jude looked at them, finally believing that he lived in that same building; however it only creating more suspicion. Everything seemed too much like a coincidence to her. Tommy still noticed her questioning glare, not believing she'd actually accuse him of being a stalker.

"Are you seriously thinking that I'm stalking you? How crazy is that? You have to be obsessed with someone for that to happen, and I'm clearly the farthest thing from it," Tommy rambled on.

His words hit Jude like a blow to the stomach. Well, okay, maybe not a blow per say, but she did feel a sag of disappointment. She didn't know why, she didn't want Tommy to be her stalker. That would just give her all the more reason to hate his guts; which she didn't need any more reason to. What surprised her more was the fact that she _didn't_ want to hate him. She shook her head trying to get rid of her confusion. Jude decided to believe Tommy for the time being.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little bit paranoid right now," she spoke walking into the living room, falling down onto the couch. She glanced over at her bedroom door, shuddering at the thought of the note still being in her room.

Tommy walked in after her, following her gaze to the open door at the end of the hallway. Turning around and walking down the hallway he entered her freezing bedroom. _Why is it so damn cold? _ He asked himself, walking over to the window and quickly shutting it. A small piece of paper caught his eye as he walked around Jude's King sized bed reaching down for it. Picking it up he noticed it had the same message scrawled across it as the answering machine did. _This must've been the note she was talking about. Who would want to stalk Jude, of all people anyway?_ Tommy glanced over to the doorway with the note still in hand. _She has to have at least some clue of who did this to her, why else would she be so scared? _He thought ripping the note to shreds. Opening the window again he threw the shards of paper out, letting them blow away in the wind.

Entering the living room again, Tommy sat on the couch next to Jude. Jude was sitting straight up looking forward, emotionless. Sitting in silence all Tommy could think about was how there was so much to Jude that he did not even come close to understanding. _I wonder what's going on in her stubborn little head…_he thought with a small smirk wondering why she had come to hate him so much. Jude turned her head to meet Tommy's eyes, noticing him staring at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jude wanted to know.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm a strange fascination to you or something."

"Well, you are a strange fascination. I mean you're the first person I've met that wants to kill me, then act like a normal person, only to go bipolar on me and accuse me of being their stalker," Tommy explained. Jude looked at him, and gave a weak smile, "All in a course of 3 days," he added.

Jude scoffed and hit him in the arm. Tommy flinched, a smile spreading across his face. "Don't start this again, you know what happened last time," Tommy said not so much referring to the almost kiss as to him chasing her down.

Jude's expression froze remembering well what had happened. _He almost kissed me that's what happened._ Turning her head from him, she resumed her earlier position, staring straight forward. Tommy's brows furrowed, Jude confusing him once again. _Oh well, no use in figuring her out now…_he thought remembering the note and the reason why she was sitting in the living room scared to death.

"The note's gone," he spoke in a serious tone. Jude snapped her head towards him, glancing back toward her bedroom door. Suddenly her apartment didn't feel like a home to her anymore. It felt like a place where she couldn't feel safe, couldn't be protected.

"Thanks," Jude replied reluctantly, but gratefully. She, once again, resumed her silent treatment state, shutting Tommy out. However Tommy was curious and wanted some answers.

"Are you sure you have no idea who could be doing this?"

Jude's head snapped up to meet Tommy's gaze again, her eyes slowly growing wide in realization. She did have someone in mind. But she hadn't seen him in seven years…

"_Jude Harrison?" a man asked stopping Jude and her best friend Kat in the food court of Tower City Mall. Jude turned toward him with a smile on her face. Winning Instant Star a few weeks ago had surely put her in the spotlight. She never thought she would like the media, but she loved meeting new fans of her music. _

"_Yeah, that's me," Jude replied. _

"_Hey, my name's Cole. I'm a big fan of your music," he said extending his hand out to hers. Jude grabbed it and shook hands. His hand was firm and tough, very confident, Jude thought. Cole was about 5'11'' with shaggy brown hair that fell over his ears and just above his electric green eyes. Kat and Jude couldn't help but smile at him, he was gorgeous, but rough around the edges. Kat turned to Jude._

"_Hey Jude, my shift at Subway starts in a half hour, I have to get going."_

"_Okay I'll see you later Kat," she replied giving her a hug. "I have to get going too."_

_Cole's eyes lit up. "I can walk you out of here, Jude. Too many strange people around, you have to be careful. Especially with winning Instant Star and everythin," he offered. Jude knew she should say no, she doesn't even know this guy. But looking into his hypnotic eyes she found herself being escorted out of the mall with Cole by her side…_

"Jude? Jude?!" Tommy yelled, kneeling over her. Sitting up, Jude realized she had broken out into a cold sweat. Jude's hands trembled, wiping sweat her off her face.

"W-what happened?" Jude asked trying to get her bearings and catch her breath. She was on the floor next to the couch. Her vision was blurry but was soon clearing up. Looking into Tommy's eyes she saw the concern and worry in them. Jude felt a knot tighten in her stomach but she couldn't tell if that was from the look Tommy was giving her or from the fact that she had almost gone into a full out panic attack.

Tommy breathed out a sigh of relief. It scared the shit out of him when she passed out on the floor. He'd never seen anyone pass out right in front of him, and when he saw Jude go down he was right there in a second.

"I asked you a question and you looked at me weird. Then you zoned out all of a sudden. I tried to get your attention but you stood up and started hyperventilating. Then you just passed out and fell on the floor," Tommy explained.

"How long have I been out?" Jude wanted to know.

"Only a couple of minutes. Jude you scared the hell out of me," Tommy confessed trying to help Jude off of the floor and onto the couch.

Tommy left for the kitchen and came back with a cold wash cloth and a glass of water. He handed her the water and put the cloth on her forehead. Sitting on the coffee table across from the couch he looked at Jude, not bothering to mask his concern. Whoever was doing this was really taking a toll on her.

"Thank you," Jude said taking a sip of the water. Leaning her head back she took deep breaths trying to calm herself. Having a flash back of Cole was the last thing she needed right now. Her life was rapidly becoming way too complicated for her. With Tommy, the movie, and now this, she didn't need anything more to worry about.

"Are you going to be okay? Do you have someplace else to stay?" Tommy asked. Jude turned her head to look at him.

"Why would I need someplace else to stay?" she questioned.

"You can't honestly be considering staying here. Even if whoever this is doesn't come back, you might pass out again, or worse," Tommy explained, trailing off.

"And where do you suggest I stay?" she snapped.

"I don't know, a friend's house? Relatives?" Jude laughed shortly at his suggestions. None of the people she knew in New York would, or would have room to, take her in. And the thought of her staying with someone from her family back in Toronto was just crazy. She hadn't seen anyone in years and needed to be nearby for the movie production.

"Yeah right, like that's going to happen," she replied sarcastically.

"Well then stay upstairs in my apartment, I have an extra guestroom," Tommy offered. Jude's eyes shot open in protest.

"NO! No, no and um….wait let's see…NO!" Jude yelled, clearly not wanting to take up his offer. She had enough to worry about without Tommy staring at her with his ocean blue eyes, let alone live with him. Tommy rolled his eyes at her stubbornness.

"Jude, just think about it. I mean it's convenient; we live in the same building. You can come down here get clothes and whatever you need. You'll get your own room and you won't even have to talk to me. Plus, we need to follow Dave's orders or it's my ass that will get kicked by my agent," Tommy explained.

"If it's Dave's orders you're worried about, then let's go out for ice cream or something. He didn't mean that we had to _live _together," Jude defended bitterly.

"I'm not just worried about Dave. I'm worried about you," Tommy said to her. Jude made a mental note to go to a cardiologist. She could've sworn her heart was failing on her the way it kept skipping beats. That should've said something to her, but like everything else in her life, she put it in the back of her mind to deal with later.

"Why are you worried about me?"

"Well, let's see. Someone broke into your place, left a creepy note in your _bedroom_, and then you passed out while going into a panic attack," Tommy explained. Jude looked at him, knowing that he was right. What if she went into another panic attack? What if Cole, or whoever this guy was, came back for her? What would she do then?

"No I can live here on my own," Jude said stubbornly. Tommy sat still for a second before standing up, raising his arms up in surrender.

"Ok fine, be stubborn. I was just trying to be nice," Tommy said. He turned around heading for the foyer, but looked back to Jude. "Just…be careful."


	8. New Arrangements

**A/N: Okay sorry for the wait, but I promise you'll love this chapter! Thanks for the comments so far, keep them coming...it's only going to get better from here, trust me! **

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**Chapter Eight**

**New Arrangements**

Later that night Jude sat in her living room eating leftover pizza, watching re-runs of The Price Is Right. She hadn't seen Tommy since earlier that afternoon and she was feeling pretty confident now about staying in her apartment. So far there were no creepy calls or attempted break-ins. However that didn't stop Jude from jumping at the sound of the dishwasher kicking on or any other normal household noise.

At about 11:30 she decided that she should turn in and try to go to bed. Switching off the TV she went around making sure her door was locked, bolted, and the security chain was slid in place. Turning off the lights she walked into her bedroom, only hesitating for a moment expecting to find the note still in place on her pillow. Then she remembered that Tommy had gotten rid of it. For once she was actually grateful that Tommy was there with her. She would probably be driving to God-knows-where right now if he hadn't stopped her.

After he left she had called the police to leave a report. However she left out the part of someone possibly stalking her. She didn't want the police getting involved with that just yet, especially if Cole was behind all of this.

By the time the police had left, Jude was exhausted. _Too much for one day…_Jude told herself as she stepped into her bedroom. Looking at her window and then her bed, a tiny wave of paranoia came over her as she decided that maybe sleep wasn't the best thing right now. Maybe she just needed a nice long bath to calm her down.

Making a turn for the bathroom, Jude grabbed clothes and her white robe. Filling up the bathtub she thought she heard a small _click_ coming from somewhere in her apartment. _It's nothing, you're just paranoid Jude. Get a grip…_Stepping out of her clothes she added some bubbles to the water and lowered herself down into the tub. Bubble baths were her number one cure to anything. She felt herself immediately start to calm down.

Ten minutes later Jude realized she must've been dozing because she jerked up with a start, splashing water everywhere. Feeling her hands start to prune up she stood up and dried off. That's when she thought she heard another noise come from her apartment. Suddenly she realized why she had woken with a start. She had heard another _click_ coming from her foyer. Paranoia was replaced with fear as she dressed quickly and left the bathroom.

Walking through her apartment she came to a stop in the foyer. Both of the locks were undone leaving the door open, only stopped by the security chain. Jude's heart started racing a mile a minute. She sprinted back to her bedroom shoving clothes and other things into a bag. She knew what she had to do. But it was the leaving the apartment that scared her. Someone could be out there waiting for her. But that seemed unlikely because there was literally no place to hide in the hallways.

Nevertheless, when someone breaks into your apartment once, and almost succeeds a second time in the same night when you're in the house, your mind always goes with the most unlikely possibility.

Grabbing her cell phone she realized she didn't have any useful phone numbers, no one that she could call. Patsy was in Toronto, Amy was probably out clubbing at this hour. There was only one choice, and his name was Tommy Quincy. Jude shuddered knowing she was going to seem like a scared little girl, but then again it was better than seeing an early death.

Taking a deep breath she slowly slid the chain on her door back with trembling hands. She was so afraid to take the first step that she just stared at the door, not moving a muscle. _It's now or never…_

Jude counted down from five, bolting out of the door. Only stopping briefly to close the door and lock it behind her. _I might be scared shitless but there's no use in being careless._ Resuming her sprint she flew up the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator. For all she knew, her intruder could be hiding out in the elevator waiting for her to enter. Shaking the bad thoughts from her head, she stepped out onto the next floor. Remembering that Tommy had briefly mentioned that he lived in 3B, she ran past A and banged loudly on the door. Glancing up and down the hallway she almost expected someone to come out to chase her. Her heartbeat quickened and Jude found herself wanting Quincy to open the door. _What if he isn't home?_ She thought, suddenly scared, not knowing where else to go. _Or worse, what if there's a girl with him? Knowing him there's probably some hooker in there right now…_she thought disgustedly. _Oh well you came all this way, might as well see it through. _

Jude banged on the door again, louder this time. She heard mumbling from behind the door as a disheveled Tommy stared out at her. His eyes were tired and his hair was gel-free and sticking out all over the place. Sporting a pair of black boxers and a white t-shirt he yawned before staring at Jude with a confused look across his face.

"What are you doing here?" he asked rubbing his eyes. Jude stared nervously up and down the hallway before walking straight past him and into his apartment.

"I…uh…decided to take you up on your offer," she said nervously, ashamed that she was actually asking to stay with him. All of a sudden she felt like running back down to her apartment, feeling very stupid. Tommy looked at her, finally awake and remembering his offer to her earlier that day. He looked over to the clock on the wall behind Jude. It read 12:10.

"Um, yeah sure you can stay here," Tommy replied still feeling a little groggy. Relief washed over Jude's face and Tommy realized that something was wrong. "What happened?" Jude locked gazes with him, knowing that he could see her fear.

"I don't want to talk about it," she stated bitterly. Tommy continued to stare at her until finally giving a sigh. He didn't feel like getting in an argument at the moment.

His apartment was basically the same as Jude's, only a little bigger. Same living room, same kitchen, only difference was that there was an extra bedroom and bathroom with an additional study. Passing by what Jude guessed was his bedroom she looked in, glad to see he didn't have a girl laying in his bed. Following Tommy he led her down a little further into the guest bedroom. It had a King-sized bed covered in blue sheets. The walls were a plain grey, covered only by a mirror hanging over a dresser against the wall.

"Here's your room," Tommy stated. "The bathroom is just through that door to your right. Everything else is pretty much in the same place as it is in your apartment."

"Ok, thanks," Jude stated solemnly looking away from him. Tommy walked closer to her lifting her chin up forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Jude, it's after midnight. What made you change your mind all of a sudden?" Tommy asked softly. Jude turned her gaze away, not feeling comfortable with how close he was standing at the moment.

"It's…nothing. I don't want to talk about it," Jude stated again, only not as bitter as before. Stepping back, Tommy nodded.

"Ok, I understand. You don't have to talk to me," he replied. "Try to get some sleep," he added before walking out of the room.

Jude took a deep breath once she was sure Tommy was gone. Falling back onto the bed she already felt safer knowing she wasn't all by herself; even if the person was Tom Quincy, the stupid idiot. _A hot stupid idiot…_her mind corrected for her.

"Ugh," Jude said to herself, burying her face into a pillow. _He may be hot, and he may seem to be nice offering me a place to stay…but that's probably just an excuse to get in my pants…_Jude thought suddenly having visions of Tommy in his black boxers. Heat rose to her cheeks as she turned over on her side. _Oh boy…_


	9. Through a Sleepless Night

**A/N: Okay I'm back! I'm really glad to be returning to this fic after my leave, I've been really happy with how I've been going with this, and I have some really cool ideas for it. Keep remembering to check back for it every so often. I should be posting a lot more frequently than I have been, having more free time now. So I hope you guys enjoy! Read and Review!!

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**Chapter Nine**

**Through a Sleepless Night**

_Jude thrashed around trying to get out of Cole's grasp. She tried kicking, screaming, biting, anything to get away. But it was no use. Her screams only made him cover her mouth, crushing her body even tighter to him. Giving up she went limp in his arms. When he loosened his hold, she tried one last time for salvation. The outcome was yet another stomach churning blow to her gut. _

_Looking down at Jude Cole couldn't help but smile, his eyes turning an even more intense shade of green. Jude whimpered and backed up slightly. Her eyes were already pouring out her biggest fears, burning her when the tears mixed with the cuts and blood that were matted to her face. Cole took a few steps toward Jude, causing Jude to take a few more back in retreat._

"_What are you so afraid of? Huh?" Cole said with a smile of amusement pasted on his face. She could feel the pain from his previous blows coursing throughout her head and body. Jude let out another sob, knowing she would be lucky if she could survive whatever Cole had in store for her._

Tommy awoke with a start to the sounds of Jude's screams. Jumping out of bed he looked at the clock on his desk. Three thirty. _What the hell?_ He thought running out of the room and down the hall to his guest room. Bursting through the door he found Jude thrashing around in her sleep, tears streaming down her face.

"No! No! Stop! Let go of me!" she screamed, still in the midst of her nightmare. Tommy ran over and tried reaching for her to make the thrashing stop. Only problem was Jude wanted to scream even more at the feeling of someone grabbing her. She continued to scream, trapped inside the realm of her past.

"Cole, let go! Just let me go!" she pleaded. Tommy's face grew curious. _Cole? Who's Cole? _He thought, letting go of Jude. Instead of grabbing her again, he shook her at attempt of waking her up.

"Jude! Jude, wake up! It's just a dream," Tommy continued to tell her until she stopped struggling with him, opening her eyes. Tears were still cascading down her face as she sat up, starting to shake. Tommy looked at her sympathetically, pulling her into his arms to sit in his lap, still unaware of her surroundings.

Jude continued sobbing as her nightmare played back in her mind. It was all so real. The look in Cole's eyes, the way he hit her, the way she felt as if she would never get to do the things she loved ever again. Weeping into Tommy's chest, she was too weak to hold onto him. He kept rocking her back and forth, whispering soothing nothings into her ear.

Tommy was becoming increasingly worried more and more by Jude's actions over the past day. There was more to this than Jude was letting on. _Something had to have happened last night. _He thought, wondering who Cole was and why he was hurting Jude.

Finally calming down slightly, Jude looked up at Tommy. His blue eyes were full of questions he was dying to ask. But Jude noticed that there was also care and worry in them as well. Suddenly taking notice to how close she was to Tommy, and his lack of a shirt, Jude eased out of his hold slightly. Turning her head away from him she wiped the tears off of her face, leaving her eyes red and puffy.

"You know you can always talk to me Jude," Tommy spoke softly. Jude lifted her head trying to suppress a small smile. She knew he just wanted answers. Answers as to why she came barging in at midnight, and answers as to why she woke up screaming in the middle of the night. She had only known him for three days. How could he expect her to pour herself out to him, out of everyone else she could talk to? Well truth was, the 'everyone else' didn't really consist of that many people. _Tommy doesn't need to know that though…_

Not responding she brought her knees up to her chest, still trying to shut out the malice tone in Cole's voice. It was no use. All she could hear and see was Cole. Cole's face, Cole's smile, Cole's voice. Everything that she had tried so hard to forget, everything she had faced during counseling, came crashing back to her.

Tommy watched her with curiosity. Taking her chin in his hand, he lifted her eyes to meet his. For an instant he felt something course through his body, a short electric current. But as quickly as it came, it passed, leaving him to look at the fear and anger developing inside of her. Brushing a piece of hair out of her face he let his hand linger on her cheek a little longer than he meant to. His stomach did a flop and he quickly sat back, surprised by his sudden feelings. He had only known her what…three days? Plus, the fact that she was balling her eyes out after having an intense nightmare only added to his confusion. Usually seeing girls cry made him want to cringe or run away. Neither applied to this case and Tommy was finding himself equally intrigued and scared of her because of it.

Still, he probably wasn't helping her at any point right now. Wasn't it her who had told him on many occasions that she 'didn't want to talk about it'? Whatever the 'it' was, she definitely wasn't going to open up to him right now.

But looking at her, he knew he couldn't just leave her there. Better let her decide, he thought.

"Um…I know you need time to yourself. If you need anything, you know where to find me," Tommy said walking towards the door. As he was about to reach for the handle, he stopped.

"Wait, don't go," Jude spoke softly. Turning slowly he came around and met Jude's gaze again. "I don't want to be alone," she added so softly Tommy had to strain to hear her.

He looked at Jude with a little bit of confusion. Here she was, probably the only girl he knew that wanted to kill him, asking him to stay with her. Thinking back to Cole, he realized she was more afraid of him than he had thought. Cautiously, Tommy walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down.

"Jude, what happened last night?" he asked with a calm sincerity to his voice. Averting her eyes away from Tommy she took in a few deep breaths. Keeping her head down low she replied quavering.

"Someone…um…someone broke into…well tried to…my apartment," Jude finished, darting her eyes nervously back and forth between Tommy and her hands. Tommy gaped at her, anger visible in the corners of his eyes.

"What?! Why didn't you say something last night? Are you okay?" he asked quickly, his tone a little harsher than he intended. Jude nodded in response, ignoring his first two questions. "Jude, I know I asked you this yesterday but…you have to have some enemy that you know of that would be capable of doing this," Tommy tried, "it seems too personal to be a random act of some kind."

Jude's mind raced back to Cole, her stomach churning painfully at the remembrance of her dream. Tommy knew he struck a chord with her, convincing him that he had the right idea. Still, Jude would not answer him. Not wanting to let the matter drop, Tommy questioned further. "Could it be…Cole?" he asked carefully. Jude's head snapped up so fast he almost didn't see the action. Hearing Cole's name out loud, coming from somewhere other than her thoughts, brought on only more fear and anger.

"How do you know about Cole?" Jude asked angrily, fear leaking through the cracks in her voice. Tommy quickly regretted mentioning Cole and became nervous.

"You…uh…you said his name…in your sleep," Tommy explained, trying not to stare Jude in the eye as she had done with him just a few minutes ago. Jude's pulse quickened, not knowing and fearing what else she may have said out loud. Not knowing what to say, Jude succumbed to silence turning away from Tommy once again. "Jude, I don't want to pressure you into telling me anything you don't want to. I'm just trying to look out for you. Okay?" Jude raised her gaze to match his.

"Why?"

"Why, what?" Tommy questioned.

"Why are you looking out for me? I nearly threaten to kill you the first day I met you, which was what, two…three days ago? And now you're looking out for me. Why?" Jude explained, her eyes mixed with fear and curiosity. Tommy stared at her, not knowing what to say. He was still asking himself that same question.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I'm just worried about you. I guess it's kind of the same feeling you get looking out for your family," he reasoned. As soon as the phrase left his mouth he knew it didn't sound right.

Whatever he felt for Jude, it was definitely not along the lines of a brother/sister relationship.

Not even close.

Jude had to hold a laugh on that comment. She would never understand the need to protect her family. Her family, as far as she was concerned, wasn't even a family anymore. It ended the day her dad moved out and her mom moved on.

Deciding that she should just let the comment slip by, Jude leaned back on the bed facing away from Tommy. Tommy saw this as his cue to leave, and stood up off of the bed. Feeling the mattress move beneath her, Jude called out.

"Don't leave me alone," she spoke, a certain plead hidden behind it. Without another word, Tommy laid back down on the bed, pulling the covers over himself. Making sure there was enough space between him and Jude, he closed his eyes as he felt himself drift off to sleep.


	10. The Bimbo Hostage

**A/N: Thanks you guys for being patient with me while I finished The Bachelor, I'm going to try to make up for it with posts. I have quite a bit more written on this fic before I have to start writing more, so I'm probably going to be starting to write the sequel to the Bachelor, and posting on this at the same time. So keep a lookout. Remember to read and review!

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**Chapter Ten**

**The Bimbo Hostage  
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Waking up Jude had to adjust to the room around her, taking in her surroundings. It was dark, but she could see a ray of light beaming through the window. Looking around she saw that she wasn't in her own bedroom. Finally remembering that she was now in Tommy's apartment, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Fear soon followed, however, seeing images of her previous nightmare and the aftermath that followed. Snapping her head to the empty spot beside her, she remembered of how she practically begged Tommy to stay with her. Glad to see that he wasn't next to her Jude sat up. _I can't believe I stooped that low…asking him to stay with me? I must've looked pretty pathetic; especially to him…_Jude thought swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

Standing up she walked over to the mirror that hung over the oak dresser. She grimaced at her reflection, taking in the bags that surrounded her eyes and her hair that was going every which way. _I look like I've been hit by a bus…feel like it too…_she thought unhappily turning away from the mirror.

Jude entered the bathroom and took a long shower, hoping to wash away the fear and anger caused by Cole, even if it was seven years later. Hopping out, she dressed in the jeans and T-shirt she had brought and dried her hair.

Looking at the clock it read nine thirty. Knowing she would have to make an appearance sooner or later, Jude stepped out into the hallway walking toward the kitchen. She heard Tommy talking to someone on the phone, his back turned toward her. Sounding agitated he spoke into the phone.

"Yeah…I know…listen, don – don't worry!...Yeah sure whatever," Tommy spoke bitterly, hanging up on whoever he was talking to. Giving a sigh of disgust he turned around, finding Jude leaning against the doorframe staring straight at him. He jumped slightly, surprised to see her. Jude noticed Tommy reach behind him, obviously trying to hide something.

"You're up," he stated simply, in a calmer tone than his previous conversation. Jude stepped forward.

"Yeah. Who were you talking to just now?" Jude asked curiously.

"Gary…my agent," Tommy spoke, not bothering to hide his dislike.

"What did he want?" Jude asked walking past him to the fridge. Opening it, she reached in and grabbed the carton of orange juice. Tommy turned his body, leaning against the counter.

"What are you, my mother now?" Tommy said making sure the newspaper behind him was out of sight. Pouring a glass of orange juice for herself, Jude glanced up at Tommy. She knew he was hiding something. Eyeing him with curiosity she sat down the carton of juice on the counter. Looking behind him and saw a newspaper lying open. She couldn't make out what was in it, but she had a hunch that it had something to do with Tommy's behavior. Turning her attention back to Tommy she pretended not to have heard his previous question.

"What's behind you, Tom?" Jude asked suspiciously. Tommy's eyes widened slightly, his expression increasing slightly with nerves.

"Nothing…nothing at all," he attempted. But that didn't stop Jude from snatching the newspaper before Tommy got the chance. Glancing at Tommy as she opened the paper, he turned his gaze to the floor, not wanting to look at her.

Looking away from Tommy, Jude noticed that the paper was part of the tabloids. Her stomach sank as she saw the picture blown up on the front page. Jude's face turned white seeing Tommy leaning in to kiss her. However, the camera angle used by the paparazzi set the impression that he indeed had kissed her. Jude's back was facing everyone, not being eligible for identification. _Thank God for that at least…_Jude thought, anger gripping at her. She was partially mad at herself for letting herself be caught in such a situation. However she couldn't help but want to strangle Tommy for making her one of his many women in the tabloids.

That's all she was, the new flavor of the week. At least in the worlds' view. In real life she was no where near being _anyone_'s flavor of the week; or month, or year for that matter. _I'm not anyone's 'flavor' and will never be anyone's 'flavor' of anything…_she thought throwing the paper down on the counter. As much as she wanted to just forget it was ever made public, the headline kept popping out at her, mocking her. _"Tom Quincy Found With Mystery Girl"_. Skimming through the article below Jude felt another surge of anger striking.

"_It's no surprise that in Quincy's first week in New York he's already found someone to 'occupy' his stay. It's just a matter of how long? Will it be just another one of Tom's many one-night-stands? Or will this mystery girl be one of the few to actually whip Quincy into boyfriend material?_

"_But here's the big question of the hour. Who is this supposedly 'mystery' girl? Or is she someone known very well to all of us? Sources say that Tom Quincy's new addition is actress Jude Harrison. Both of them will be starring together in a new movie up for production titled "Fatal Temptation." Jude, 22, entered her career of acting after abruptly leaving the music industry. She is also well known for winning the 'Instant Star' competition at the young age of 15…"_

Jude's face turned red with anger. Turning away from the tabloid, she faced Tommy, who was still trying to avoid her. Emotion bubbled up to the surface, Jude not being able to control her temper any longer.

"Look at me!" she yelled, causing Tommy to snap his head up in her direction by reflex. He could tell she was angry, he knew she would be. Knowing he should have just ripped the paper to shreds, he waited for Jude to lash out at him. Her eyes turned a shade of blue he had never seen before, intriguing him but also scaring him at the same time. He was about to start his long chain of apologizes when Jude unleashed her wrath.

"YOU MADE ME ONE OF YOUR BIMBOS!" she accused, closing in on him. "You dragged me into your stupid public life, and IT'S NOT EVEN TRUE!" she screamed pointing to the picture. Opening her mouth ready for more insults she was cut off abruptly.

"I DIDN'T MAKE YOU ANYTHING! It's just as much your fault as it is mine for us being in that situation…"

"I wasn't the one who leaned in to kiss you! I wasn't the one who pinned you down!" Jude spat back with venom. Tommy ran a hand through his hair frustrated.

"Didn't you see me chase that guy down trying to grab his camera?! I did everything that I could, Jude! Do you believe me now? Huh?" He asked, gesturing to the newspaper.

"Believe you about what?"

"That all these tabloids print out are lies! All lies! Whenever the slightest detail pops up in my life it is outlined not only in bold letters, but in a damn marquee!" Tommy finished exasperated. Jude was ready with a retort but stopped short with her mouth open. He was right, he was right all along. Maybe the enemy's not Tommy, but with the media itself.

Closing her mouth Jude straightened up and stepped back. Tommy, knowing he had won the argument leaned against the counter, trying to calm down. It was a hard task, not only had his annoying-as-hell agent call to "check up" on him, but he fell victim of another tabloid plot that would surely take place over the course of the movie production.

Jude brought a hand to her head, trying to figure out how in just a few days, her life had changed so drastically. She was now working side by side with 'Little Tommy Q' in a romance movie, being stalked by someone that's more than just a crazed fan, in the tabloids looking like slut, oh and also temporarily _living_ with a guy that she, two days ago, would've loved to see go to an early grave.

"I have to go," Jude said abruptly shaking her head. Walking out of the room to the guest bedroom, Tommy was close on her heel.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" he said watching Jude gather her purse and clothes that she had put into a bag.

"I mean that I can't stay here any more. Not with the media going on their little frenzy. Plus, I can take care of myself," Jude replied stubbornly trying to walk past him. Tommy stepped in her way not letting her pass through. "Tommy let me out!" she yelled, hoping he would listen to her.

"I'm sorry but I can't let you do that. Are you forgetting that there is someone out there who wants to hurt you? Screw the media. They've been wrong before, they'll be wrong again. But Jude, you can't go back to your apartment. Not like this," Tommy argued making her look him straight in the eye.

"Like what?"

"Do remember what happened last night Jude?" Tommy replied. Jude shifted her gaze away from him, feeling uncomfortable. "I think you know who's doing this to you, and the sooner you admit it, the better I can help you."

"I don't need your help," she said harshly.

"Yes you do, you can't do this alone. And I don't think you would want to even if you could," he replied.

Jude stared at him before trying one last time to get past him. Her efforts stopped short, however, when Tommy picked her up. Throwing Jude over his shoulder he walked her over to the bed, and dropped her down on it. Taking out a small key he walked back to the door, locking it. Jude's expression turned to anger again.

"What are you doing?!" she shouted, watching Tommy sit himself down at the corner of the bed.

"We are not leaving this room until you tell me what is going on with you," he replied matter-of-factly. Jude stared at him, her mouth agape.

"And what if I don't tell you anything?" she retorted. Tommy leaned in to her a smug smile on his face.

"Then it's going to be a long day."


	11. In a State of Confinement

**A/N: Hey guys...sorry that it's been over a year since I've posted on this...that's just crazy. I lost the files from my computer but good thing I posted ahead further on DLS because I was able to just get them off of there and re-edit them. Bad news, I had a kickass chapter for chapter 19, which i didn't post anywhere so that's gone. But I'll work on re-writing it and I will be continuing this story. In the meantime I will post the rest of the Chapters I have on file so you guys can read them and tell me what you think. Sorry if they're short, but the ones I'm going to start writing will be longer..Enjoy!!**

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**Chapter Eleven **

**In a State of Confinement**

Two hours later Jude stood by the window in Tommy's guest room looking out over the city. Tommy was lying stretched out on the bed, hands behind his head. He was starting to regret his earlier plan of staying until Jude told him the truth. He had thought she would've cracked by now. But he had been very mistaken. For the past two hours Jude hadn't said a word, no matter what Tommy tried to do. So he had just taken up to lying on the bed, becoming silent as well.

Jude walked over to the blue and gray bed and sat down. Her face held an emotionless empty feel to it. There was no spark in her eyes, no fight left. And to Tommy's great surprise she spoke.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked softly staring straight into his eyes. Tommy propped himself up on his elbows, noticing Jude's change in mood. He couldn't help but become intrigued.  
"Doing what?"  
"Keeping me here confined like some prisoner," she answered raising her arms in exasperation. Tommy sat all the way up, leaning his back against the head board. Staring at her for a second he took in the calmness of her blue eyes, the defeat. He could tell she was tired of fighting whatever battle was going on inside of her.  
"You're not a prisoner, Jude."  
"I sure feel like one," she replied bringing her head down.  
"Hey," Tommy whispered, bring his hand to lift her chin up. "I want you to be able to feel safe here. But you also need to understand that it's hard for me to sit back and watch you go through all of this pain. I need you to be able to trust me enough to fill me in," he finished.

Jude looked straight into Tommy's eyes trying to see a glimpse of a lie, but not finding any luck. The only thing she was able to do was get lost inside of them, her brain temporarily freezing up. Not finding a response to answer Tommy with, she just sat back and took a deep breath; more so for her nerves than for what he said.

"So what do you say? Will you tell me what's going on?" Tommy asked hopefully. Jude met his gaze once again. She wanted to trust him, she really did. But it was the hesitation that was keeping her from pouring out her past to him. She had barely known him, and had hated him for the majority of her life. How could she just let a total stranger into her personal life? _It's a little too late for that. I mean I am living with him…_

Tommy could see the struggle in her eyes as she stood up, pacing back and forth through the room again. He was getting close to cracking her, he knew it. _I can see it in her eyes; she wants to let me in. She just needs another little push…_Tommy thought motioning Jude over to sit next to him.

Jude hesitated slightly before taking her place next to him on the bed. Once done, Tommy drew his arms around her, pulling her back against him. He could feel her tense body loosen slightly as he rested his head next to hers. She couldn't help but relax inside his embrace. His scent was intoxicating. Jude tried to clear her head, for once wanting to think about her stalker.

Tommy felt himself dozing beside Jude. The sleep he had lost from the previous night was starting to catch up with him. Taking in the scent of her vanilla shampoo, he had a mental flashback of earlier in the morning…

_Tommy woke up slowly, realizing a presence next to him. Looking down he saw Jude's blonde hair sprawled across his chest, his arms locked around her protectively. He sat still for a moment, not wanting to wake her. Wondering why he was in bed with Jude, memories from the night before flooded back to him. But what intrigued him the most was how they ended up in the position that they were currently in. He remembered Jude asking him to stay and he remembered falling asleep. But he didn't remember anything else._

Closing his eyes briefly he could smell the very faint traces of vanilla. Almost as a reflex he found himself holding onto her tighter. Jude shifted in her sleep, moving in closer to him. Tommy noticed how peaceful she looked; glad to know she wasn't going through another nightmare. He felt his heart tug as Jude stirred a little, but not enough to wake up.

Reality slapped him in the face as he looked over to the clock, seeing that it was 8:30. Trying as hard as he could not to wake her, he removed his arms from her, getting off the bed. Looking back down at her he could feel another smile tug at his lips. Shaking his head once again of feelings he knew he shouldn't be having, Tommy left the room, leaving a sleeping Jude lying peaceful in bed…

Coming back to reality he looked down at Jude, whose head had found its way to his chest. It took him a second before realizing that Jude had fallen asleep. Her breathing was calm and even, leaving her in a peaceful state. Wondering just how long he had been sitting there spacing out, his eyes found their way to his watch. It read 3:30. _Wow I must've fallen asleep…_Tommy thought while setting his gaze on Jude, not being able to believe how comfortable he felt with her.

Tommy knew he should probably wake Jude up so that they could get some lunch. Or at least get out of the bedroom. But he found himself hesitating, not wanting to disturb her. _More like I don't want to move away from her…_he thought suddenly, not knowing where the thought had come from.

Similar thoughts had begun to from in his mind ever since he found her trying to run away from her apartment. They were thoughts he didn't want anything to do with. She hated him, why should he even begin to waste his time on someone who could never reciprocate the same feelings? But there were more important things to worry about besides his feelings for Jude. Like Cole; which was another good reason not to get too involved.

"What did he do to you Jude?" he asked just below a whisper, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. Jude stirred in her sleep, adjusting to curl in closer to Tommy. Tommy smiled slightly, his arms resting at her waist.

He knew he shouldn't be letting himself hold her like this, with the constant struggle in his mind going at full force. But he let his wants overpower his sensibility for the time being. Resting his head on top of hers, he turned his thoughts back to reality instead of arguing with himself over what would be considered crossing the line.

He had a movie to produce with her, and now they had the problem with the paparazzi and Jude's stalker. There was too much baggage for Tom's liking. Even though he was through with his one night stand days, he still tried to steer clear of women who caused too much drama. He came to learn that whatever drama that happens in their life comes to be part of yours whether you like it or not. _Then again, I'm already up to my chest in Jude-drama right now, what more could it hurt?_

"Jude why do you have to be such a pain in the ass?" he asked softly with a chuckle. Reluctantly letting go of Jude, Tommy gave in to being sensible. He needed sensible in life right now. God knows there would be enough crazy in the future and being sensible sounded pretty good to him right about now. Kissing Jude on the forehead he pulled the covers over her to keep her warm.

Walking out of the bedroom Tommy could hear his stomach growling. However an idea came to him while he was sitting with Jude that he thought deserved some attention. Grabbing his coat from the chair by the kitchen table, Tommy left his apartment. Making sure the door was locked and bolted behind him he walked down the hallway stepping into the elevator. Finding his way to the second floor, he found Jude's apartment. Unlocking the door with Jude's key he cautiously stepped in.

Looking around he found nothing out of place, as far as he could see. He had only been in the place once. But there were no signs of an obvious robbery, or vandalism or any new creepy notes on bedroom pillows. Knowing that Jude probably wouldn't want to come back down here tonight, he grabbed some clothes from Jude's closet. All the while trying to tell himself that it wasn't creepy at all that he was going through her clothes.

Walking into the kitchen he saw her answering machine light blinking. Tommy carefully approached it as if it was some dangerous weapon. Pressing the button down slowly he prayed it wasn't another threat from Jude's stalker. Relief washed over him as annoyance settled in, recognizing the voice of their director.

"Hi Jude, this is Dave Weston. I have some good news. We've been able to wrap up the rest of the cast auditions early, so we will be having a read-through on Friday morning at 10:30. We're not going to read through the whole script, just the first few scenes that we'll be starting to film. That gives you two days to look through the script, figure out any questions you may have. Production starts next week on Monday, but we'll talk more about that at the read-through. Also, I will be having a kick-off party at my house Saturday night. Nothing major, just something to get everyone that's involved in production together and mingling, getting to know one another. If you have any questions, let me know Friday or contact me at the studio. Thanks, bye."

Thinking back to the movie Tommy realized that he still hadn't really read through his script that much. He made a mental note to take the time when he got back up to his apartment.

Walking out into the hallway Tommy locked up behind him. Taking the elevator up a floor, he entered his apartment clothes in hand. He was glad to find the place in one piece, half expecting Jude to have woken up and destroyed it in a fit of crazed anger. _Okay, so that was unlikely but what the hell, with the way she's been acting she's capable of anything…_he thought walking into the kitchen.

Checking his messages he found one similar to the one left on Jude's, followed by another message from his agent Gary. I swear that guy never gives up…he thought deleting it. His stomach gave another loud grumble, telling him of the need for food. Checking the freezer he found some frozen hamburgers. Taking two burgers out of the packaging, he put them in the microwave on defrost.

Sitting back, Tommy decided to read his script book. Flipping through it he found out about Chris and her bounty hunter job. Stifling a laugh he flipped through the pages, learning of how Ashton and Chris would eventually fall in love.

"Great…just great," he mumbled to himself, focusing on the booklet. A figure came into view from the doorway, leaning against the door frame.  
"What's so great?" Jude asked noticing his sarcasm.


	12. Let the Games Begin

**Chapter Twelve **

**Let the Games Begin**

"What's so great?" Jude repeated walking into the kitchen, taking a seat next to Tommy. Tommy nervously searched his head for an answer, not wanting to tell her the truth.

"Oh, um…it's nothing. Just that my agent told me it was going to be an action movie, and he forgot to mention it was a romance. He always does that," Tommy replied convincingly. _Well at least it's not a complete lie. I just can't tell her that playing this role next to her is going to take all of the self control I have…_

"Yeah, my agent too," Jude stated with a short laugh. "He always has some secret that he keeps from me until the day I go to audition." Tommy just nodded his head in agreement.

"Oh yeah, and Dave called. He said we have a read through to go to on Friday morning. Then there's some sort of party at his place Saturday night," Tommy added changing the subject. Jude gave a sigh and sat back in her chair. She had hardly a chance to look at the script with all of the 'interruptions' in her life throughout the past day or two.

Tommy glanced at her before the timer dinged on the microwave. Getting up to retrieve the thawed hamburgers, he brought them over to his George Forman Grille.  
"So I'm taking it you're like me and forgot to read over the script too?" he asked with a small smile. Jude just glared in his direction, reaching across the table to grab Tommy's copy of the script. Tommy let out a small laugh. Jude proceeded to leaf through the booklet, trying to concentrate.

"You do know it's only a read through? You don't have to have the lines memorized," Tommy spoke looking back over his shoulder to Jude.  
"Yeah I know, but I'm just trying to get a feel for my character," Jude responded, not looking up. Tommy nodded, turning his attention back to the grille. They stood there in silence for the next few minutes, keeping themselves busy.

After the burgers were done cooking, Tommy took them off the grille, placing them on buns. Handing a plate to Jude she glanced at it quickly before setting down the script. Tommy took a place next to Jude at the table, both eating in silence. Jude had forgotten how hungry she was after being held hostage all day in the guest room. Glancing over at Tommy a few times she realized that maybe he did have a right to know what was going on. But that doesn't mean that she would be pouring all of herself out for nothing.

"So what do you think of the movie?" Tommy asked trying to make conversation. Jude shrugged her shoulders, taking a bite of the burger.  
"I don't know, it's different from most movies I do. But it's going to be fun pretending to be a bounty hunter," Jude said making a gun with her hands and raising it to shoot Tommy in the head. "Bam!" she exclaimed, pretending to shoot off the pretend gun. Tommy looked at her with an expression that said, "I do not know you…" while Jude couldn't help but laugh. Tommy swallowed the last bite of his burger, pushing back from his chair.  
"That's great, just great. Why don't you just kill me now," Tommy said jokingly. Walking over and setting his plate in the sink he turned back to Jude who he could tell was trying hard to hold in a burst of laughter. Looking at her in amusement Tommy couldn't help but smile. "You know it wasn't that funny," he tried. Jude just looked at him through fits of laughter nodding her head.

"Oh yes it was. You should've…seen the look…on your face," Jude replied, her eyes starting to water. After a few more laughs and a couple of knee slaps, Jude finally calmed down. "Okay…I think I'm done," she stated taking a few deep breaths.

"Well at least I got you to smile for once," Tommy said. Jude looked up to him, rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry Quincy, I still think you're as stupid as you look," Jude stated matter-of-factly. She wore a smug grin that stretched across her face as she stared into Tommy's blue eyes. Now it was Tommy's turn to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever Harrison. Just go…read more of your script," Tommy replied waving her off with one hand. He was about to turn away before Jude called out to him.

"Oh but don't you want to read through the script with me?" Jude asked in an obvious sarcastic tone.

"Only if I had a death wish," Tommy retorted. Jude laughed burying her head into the script once again. Tommy walked towards the hallway, but turned back quickly, "Oh, I went down to your apartment earlier and got you some more clothes. They're sitting over in that chair." Tommy pointed to the chair at the other end of the table. Jude scoffed.

"You broke into my apartment and went through my closet?" she asked in disbelief. _I was afraid she was going to say that…_Tommy thought.

"No, I did not break in. I used your key that you left laying on the kitchen counter. And I thought I was being nice bringing you back clothes so that you didn't have to go back down there yourself."

Jude looked at him trying to find something clever to spit back at him. However it only left her with a mouth hanging halfway open and a blank stare on her face. She knew Tommy had, yet again, won. _Why is it that the bad ones always make the most sense?_ She thought quickly making a grab for her clothes. Giving an exasperated sigh she mumbled a "Whatever," to Tom while skulking off towards the hallway.

Tommy grinned to himself, knowing she had given into him again. Maybe not willingly, but she had. _At least I know she believes what I say…_he thought staring down to the counter where the script was. Smiling to himself he picked it up following Jude into the hallway.

"Hey Jude?" He called in a teasing voice, "I thought we were going to practice the script?" Tommy watched as Jude's eyes narrowed in resentment. It took all he had to not bust out one of his smug grins, but he held it back valiantly.

Jude stepped towards him slowly, finding it excruciatingly hard to not strangle him. Looking down at the script she knew he was just playing with her. He was just trying to find another way to piss her off, the amusement evident on his face. Suddenly an idea came to her. _If he wants to practice the script…then we're gonna practice the script._

Tommy's amusement faded slightly, Jude taking on a new expression similar to the one he had been trying to hide moments ago. A playful grin spread slowly across her face, and he had the sudden urge to run away, far away. Jude saw how uncomfortable he was becoming; only making her smile extend even farther.

Jude took another step closer, snatching the script book out of Tommy's hands. Tommy flinched, afraid that she was going to hit him. Jude let out a short burst of laughter, being able to sense a little bit of fear.

"Okay, if you really want to," Jude says enticingly. Tommy looked at her curiously, before his eyes widened. I_ set myself up for that one…_  
"Well…" Tommy starts trying to protest. Jude ignores him and cuts him off by shoving the script in his face, already opened to a page. Tommy nervously skims across the page, scared of what he might find. Reading down the page he let out a breath that he had been holding subconsciously. Relief washed over him, glad to see she hadn't chosen a romantic scene. Instead she picked a scene that revealed a part of his character he hadn't known of yet. Looking up to Jude he met her gaze with a genuine look of surprise.

"Since when is my character a singer?"


End file.
